456 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION. —September 23, 1856. 
served on a shelf in the greenhouse, will furnish many 
hundreds of cuttings in the spring. 
Pansies. —The attention that these plants require 
now is to take up the layers, and pot them, and also to 
take up the cuttings, and pot them into small pots. The 
best position for these young plants through winter is a 
cold frame or pit close to the glass, protecting them 
from severe frost through the winter. Old, spreading, 
straggling plants should have their tops cut hack to the 
centre, leaving the young shoots untouched. By this 
pruning in early they will make nice, bushy plants, 
which, in nine cases out of ten, will live through the 
winter, and flower early in spring. 
Polyanthuses. —At this season these plants should 
have all their old, decaying leaves trimmed off, the 
surface of the soil stirred and removed, and a top¬ 
dressing of the proper compost applied. The plants 
should then be placed in a more open part of the gar¬ 
den, fully exposed to the warm autumn sun. See that 
the leaves are clear of the red spider, the grand enemy 
of the Polyanthus. Should any be observed, wash 
the leaves with a very soft brush dipped in sulphur- 
water, especially the under side, where the insects 
generally prevail the most. A little attention to this 
point, at this season of the year, will he of great service 
as a check to these pests. Should heavy, rainy weather 
prevail, the plants should be placed in frames directly, 
giving air abundantly on all favourable days. Observe 
if there are any worm-casts on the surface of the soil, 
and if they appear, turn the plants out of their pots, 
keeping the balls entire. The worms will generally be 
found on the outside of the balls, or at the bottom, and 
may then be easily removed and destroyed. Should, 
however, any be artful enough to remain in the centre 
of the ball, then tap the ball gently, and generally they 
will creep out of their hiding-place, and may be easily 
caught. In very obstinate cases it may be necessary to 
resort to the last remedy, that is, a watering with clear 
lime-water. 
Verbenas. —Cuttings of these plants may yet be 
made, and these very often form the best plants in the 
spring, on account of their being short, stubby plants. 
Many sorts root freely in the bed at every joint. If 
small parts so rooted are taken up carefully, and 
potted, and placed in a cold frame, shaded from the 
midday sun, they will soon make fresh roots, and 
form good, bushy plants, which will yield a good crop 
of cuttings in the spring, besides forming early, good 
plants for pot-culture or for bedding. Where there is the 
convenience of a cold pit, it may be filled with light, rich 
soil, and these rooted layers may be planted in it rather 
thickly in rows, keeping the varieties distinct and legibly 
named. I have seen this mode practised with the 
greatest success when large numbers were required. 
The mildew is very apt to prevail strongly in damp 
weather just now. It may be kept under by frequent 
dustings of sulphur on the infected leaves. 
T. Appleby* 
ORCHIDS BEARING COOL TREATMENT. 
{Continued from page 383.) 
Onoidium. —The Oncicliums are a very large family, 
most of which are from the warmer parts of South 
America and the West Indies. It is a remarkable fact, 
that no Oncidiums, numerous though they are, are found 
in the East. There are a few species natives of Central 
America in a more temperate clime. All the species 
from Guatemala with large pseudo-bulbs are able to 
bear a cool treatment. 
0. leucochilum (white-lipped), Guatemala.—A very 
fine species. There are some slight variations in regard 
to the colours and number of the spots, but they are so 
slight as scarcely to be noticed. The sepals and petals 
are yellowish-green, blotched with rich brown; the lip 
is large, pure white, stained in the centre with rose 
colour. The pseudo-bulbs are of a medium size, and 
the leaves long sword-shaped. The flower-stems spring 
out above the first pair of leaves in strong plants; they 
often grow from seven to nine feet long, with many 
lateral branches, from one to four feet each. When 
well-grown and well flowered this is a very handsome 
species. Mr. Skinner recommends that it should be 
grown in a summer temperature of from 55° to 70°, and 
should be well watered whilst growing through the 
months of July, August, and September, the rest of the 
year to be watered only very slightly, just as much as 
a dewy night would give out of doors. He says, the 
I seasons here (Guatemala) are the same as in England— 
the coldest weather December, January, and February. 
On the 25th, 26th, and 27th of December, the ther¬ 
mometer in the open air at six o’clock in the morning 
for three days averaged only 36° Fahr., and yet 0. leuco¬ 
chilum continued to produce its young stems. This being 
the case, it renders the species hardy enough to give it a 
cool treatment in this country. There are few green¬ 
houses but are kept during winter several degrees 
above 36. If a house is devoted purposely to Orchids 
bearing cool treatment, this is one that would thrive 
well there. I have proved its hardihood myself re¬ 
peatedly, and always found that it grew stronger in a cool 
house than a hot one. 
; 0. microchilum (small-lipped).—This is also a Guate¬ 
malan species, with greenish-red sepals, edged with 
yellow; the petals are dark rose and yellow, and the lip 
is white and yellow, blotched and spotted with dark 
purple. The pseudo-bulbs are short and dumpy, and 
the leaves rather long and very thick. It is a well- 
defined species, and tolerably handsome when in flower. 
Mr. Skinner found it growing on a bare rock, with a 
quantity of decaying leaves lodged amongst the leaves 
and pseudo-bulbs, the roots seeking support in the 
crevices' of the rocks. As it grew in such exposed 
situations the temperature varied considerably, being 
about 65® by day and 50° by night—just the beat of our 
summer. These hints are always welcome to the cul- 
I tivator in this country. Acting upon them, I grew this 
species in a pot three-parts filled with stones or broken 
pots, the other part turfy peat and decayed leaves, 
placing the pot in the most exposed part of a cool house. 
I found the plant so managed grew and flowered very 
fairly, and no doubt, as it grows older, it will flower still 
more freely. 
O. sphacelatum (scorched).—This handsome Orchid 
is also a native of Guatemala. The flowers are of a 
medium size, and of a bright yellow and brown colour; 
the pseudo-bulbs a long oval, rather flat, and ribbed; 
leaves long and arched. A free-growing and abundant- 
flowering species if not grown in too much heat. In a 
cool house it makes many stout pseudo-bulbs every year, 
and every one made one year flowers the next, throwing 
up lofty flower-stems very much branched, forming a 
truly handsome object. 
There are some other Orchids that I have no doubt 
would flower more freely and more dwarf in a cool house, 
though they are natives of a warmer clime than Guate¬ 
mala. One especially I have proved suitable for the 
cool house, and that is— 
0. flexuosum (bending), from Brazil. 0. crispum, 
from the Organ Mountains, has never been grown yet so 
well as it deserves, and I believe the failure arises from its 
being generally grown in a too shady, damp atmosphere. 
All the broad-leaved species, such as 0. luridum, 0. 
Cavendishianum, 0. sanguineum, and 0. Lanceanum, I 
fear, are too tender for a cool treatment, chiefly because 
they either have no pseudo-bulbs, or very obscure ones. 
Well-ripened large bulbs are far more likely to bear 
such treatment. 
